A lot of us know by now that exercising every day is a great thing to do for ourselves and our bodies. The Mayo Clinic states that exercising every day offers seven big benefits for each of us: exercise helps control weight, combats health conditions, improves our mood, boosts energy, promotes better sleep, is fun, and can even improve your sex life.
Figuring out what kind of exercise to do can vary by each individual. Some of us prefer sports, such as basketball and soccer. Australia’s Better Health Channel even identifies soccer as one of the most beneficial sports adults can play. However, other people like to go for a jog or even a run in their neighborhood each day. Still, others like old school exercises that have stood the test of time, like push-ups, which don’t require anything but your own body weight.
Push-ups are a great exercise because, much like crunches, they’re so easy to do, and you can do them just about anywhere. You don’t even need any special skills! You can also adapt push-ups for different body types, abilities, and fitness levels. It also turns out that there are a lot of benefits to doing push-ups every day.
The benefits of push-ups are numerous
Allina Health cites push-ups as one of “the oldest forms of exercise in the world,” and many people believe the exercise dates back to at least the fourth century when Emperor Constantine added push-ups to his workout routine. Of course, it’s likely that the exercise predates the Emperor entirely!
Doing push-ups daily can be very beneficial for your body and even your mind. Health Digest says push-ups offer a ton of benefits, including lowering stress levels, improving focus, increasing metabolism, and strengthening your core. Adding push-ups to your daily routine can also improve your overall mental health and mood. Ahmad Mickens, who founded Connecticut’s Revolution Training, says consistency is everything. “I’m a strong believer in consistency. Doing something every day builds good habits and routine. When you build a good habit, it spreads through all areas of your lifestyle, thus building strong self-esteem and confidence.”
Daily push-ups will also help improve your posture, which is something plenty of us who work at desks often will appreciate. As fitness trainer Rick Richey explains, “When done correctly and part of a balanced program that also includes pulling, a daily push-up practice could help correct your posture and maintain it by strengthening the shoulder girdle, making the shoulders appear less rounded” (via Health Digest). Just don’t forget to stretch after!
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